INTENSIFIERS PODCAST
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Speaker 1: In this podcast we’re going to have a look at how we can use intensifying adverbs to make your language richer, more precise and more interesting. We can use most intensifying adverbs with both adjectives and verbs to substitute very or a lot. So instead of saying, I’m very much in love with her, you can say, I am truly, madly, deeply, blindly, hopelessly in love with her, which sounds much more passionate and meaningful! This is why intensifiers are often used in formal English – because they make your message more precise and more emphatic.
Speaker 2: Let’s start with how we use them to apologise and to say thank you. In English we’re always apologising, even when it’s not our fault so it’s important to get it right. To a friend you might just say I’m sorry but to your boss or a client you’ll sound more professional if your email includes the phrases, I’m awfully sorry, awfully being used as an intensifier here or I do apologise. To express gratitude you might use one of the simpler intensifiers, really and write ‘I really appreciate your help, or I am most grateful. It’s also good to tell people we appreciate their help even more so when we simply weren’t expecting it. In these cases, we could write thank you, but you really shouldn’t have.
Speaker 1: For an informal apology I’m sorry, I apologise for…are fine. But we can intensify this by saying – please excuse my thoughtlessness, or please forgive me for not realising that.
Speaker 2: You’ll notice that in English we use please a lot! And if you think all this please and thank you sounds ridiculous, in English it’s totally normal. So, the next time someone thanks you for putting them up in your home, don’t you forget to thank them for coming and to apologise for the fact that you couldn’t do more for them!
Speaker 1: There are some more interesting intensifiers other than these though, that can make your language richer.
Let’s look at bitterly. Bitterly is used to express a strong negative emotion such as anger or despair, so you can be bitterly disappointed or angry or unhappy, feelings which might even make you cry bitterly. You can also bitterly regret or resent someone or something, or bitterly complain about something.
Speaker 2: The intensifier deeply is used to intensify emotions and show that they are from the heart. So, you can be deeply ashamed or deeply worried or concerned. If you want to make someone feel guilty, you can say how deeply hurt you are, but on the positive side you can also be deeply moved or deeply grateful, another one to use to thank. It can also be collated with these adjectives: affected, committed, religious and shocked.
Speaker 1: In contrast to deeply, which is used for emotions, we use highly in rational arguments, for example in academic and business contexts. It’s used to talk about probability: we talk about things being highly likely or unlikely, highly probable or improbable or highly effective or ineffective. We also talk about highly controversial topics and highly profitable businesses. It can also collate with the adjectives; competitive, controversial, and successful. With verbs, highly collocates with recommend and praise − I highly recommend it and I can’t praise it highly enough.
Speaker 2: Strongly is often used with verbs relating to having or expressing opinions. Like highly, it’s used to express more intellectual arguments than emotional ones, although you can strongly like or dislike something or someone. You can also strongly believe, condemn, deny, feel, influence, object, oppose or recommend and support things. For example, the voters strongly oppose the decision and I strongly deny the accusations.
Speaker 1: We use ridiculously when something is so extreme, it’s difficult to believe. Things can be ridiculously cheap or expensive, ridiculously easy or hard, ridiculously long or short. Using ridiculously shows the speaker is judging, probably negatively, the situation.
Speaker 2: For ‘extreme adjectives’, absolutely and utterly are used instead of very with adjectives like brilliant, disgraceful, disgusting, exhausted, marvellous, ridiculous and wonderful. For example, we say very tired but utterly exhausted, very good but absolutely brilliant, very nasty, but absolutely disgusting, very stupid, but utterly ridiculous.
Speaker 1: So, if you want to express your emotions and opinions more emphatically in English, then intensifiers are the answer. Thank you so deeply, very, bitterly, amazingly…

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